


A Gift From the Past

by mymotheristherepublic



Category: Xafrin DND
Genre: Backstory, Epistolary, Gen, Past Abuse, Religious Cults
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:48:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22391281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mymotheristherepublic/pseuds/mymotheristherepublic
Summary: Cosima, a former member of the cult of Tiamat, doesn't remember her brother. She was told long ago that he died before she was born, and that he was a disgrace to the family. Now, centuries later, in the catacombs leading to the lost city of Xafrin, she discovers a letter in a book she stole from Tiamat's high priest, mysteriously addressed to her.
Kudos: 2





	A Gift From the Past

_Dear Cosima,_

_You don’t know me. It’s likely you never will. I hope to change that fate, but times being what they are, perhaps this letter will never even reach you. I have been given a divine purpose to leave this behind, the last vestiges of your brother in this godsforsaken place. But more than that, I am your brother still, and I cannot let my sister go on believing she is alone in this world._

_I know there will come a day when you will believe so. This cult is isolating, even to its most faithful. Mother and Father are of no help in that regard--I doubt they will change for you. But the Traveler tells me, in the vaguest of terms, that you will “disobey” your elders, and that when that time comes, you will find this book._

_If you never get the chance to know me: my name is Damian. I was born two hundred years before you, and I am not like you. Tiamat’s blood passes to her daughters, and for the brief moment that I saw you, I knew you had been “blessed” by her. In the eyes of this cult, I am nothing, an errand boy. The Traveler gifted me with something Tiamat could never give me: a purpose. Our parents will not tell you this. They would rather tell you their son died than that the Lord of Werewolves claimed him. My gifts are my choice to use, and I am sorry you were not given that choice._

_Perhaps more personal details will allow you to feel as if you are being spoken to by a real person. I am a practitioner of the druidic arts. Our parents never approved of my connections to the fey, but the Courts always made me feel at peace in my dreams. I knew they called to me when I understood that not everyone dreams so lucidly and vividly as I do. Even as a werewolf, I am capable of walking in dreams and communing with the fey. I enjoy collecting crystals and herbs, sewing, and every aspect of the natural world. Wandering through the woods gave me my first grain of true happiness, and from that moment, I knew I could never find it again if I stayed with the cult. (Also, the sigil included with this letter is embroidered by me. Take it with you, it’s meant to keep you safe. The magic shouldn’t fade with time. The intention I created it with is what matters.)_

_This letter is not to tell you anything of particular urgency. I do not know what the Traveler intends by asking me to write this, but it is a god of change, and I assume it intends you to find this at a time of great upheaval. What is important to me is that you know I’m here. I could not take you with me, and I wish I could have, but perhaps you are meant to find me someday. I certainly hope you are. If you are ever lost in the swamps, speak my name to the trees, and I will answer._

_Your brother,_

_Damian Gelsomino_

_Priest of the Giver of Gifts_


End file.
